Sydney, Australia - a photo on Flickriver

Sydney, Australia

            The former Metropolitan Water, Sewerage & Drainage Board (MWS&D Board) building,  339-341 Pitt Street, Sydney. 

Architects:               Budden & Mackey
Builder/Maker:          Howie Moffat & Co.
Construction Years:1938 - 1939

The Pitt Street building, completed in 1939 (and the Bathurst Street extension, completed in 1965) have served as the Head Office of the Sydney Water Corporation and its predecessors up to the present. 

Possibly the most elaborate, high quality and well detailed Institutional Art Deco building in Sydney, probably NSW. Associated with, and designed by the influential architects Budden and Mackey. Reflects the growth of the then Water Board and the stature of the organisation in the quality of the building. In its original design, detail and materials, the building is arguably the most elaborate, high quality example of Institutional Inter-War Functionalist/Art Deco building in Sydney, and probably across New South Wales. Through its use and extent of scagliola, marble, travertine, terrazzo and terracotta and ceramic tiles the building contains construction elements and finishes which collectively are unlikely to be built again to such an extent. The building is a high quality contribution to the architectural townscape of Sydney which has become increasingly rare since its construction. The use of architectural terracotta tiles on this building, whilst not rare in the Sydney area, are arguably of the highest quality detailing in Sydney, if not NSW. The building retains three bronze low relief architectural panels designed by Stanley James Hammond, a major Victorian architectural sculptor whose professional career spanned the Inter-War eras.

Recent Article: 

Multiplex to develop Sydney's tallest apartment tower – designed by Kann Finch Group, 23 September 2011, by David Wheeldon:

Sydney looks set to approve its tallest apartment tower, the Kann Finch Group design rising above the current record which is set by World Square.The 65-storey project in Bathurst Street, on what is known as the Sydney Water Board site, would be 235-metres tall, with an average of nine apartments a floor. While the building will be five metres higher than the World Square apartment and commercial building, it will appear much taller as it is built further up a ridge.

The city's authorities this week published the development application details, recommending deferred ‘commencement consent’, with approval subject to the developer Brookfield Multiplex meeting planning conditions. The most contentious matter, the height limit increase, met the requirements of the City Planning and Regulatory Services.

To comply with concerns over setback requirement, the developer has proposed cantilevering the tower by 2.7 metres over the eight-storey 1939 heritage-listed building in Pitt Street adjacent to the site.

Taken in: Australia / New South Wales / Sydney / Sydney South (show map)

Taken on: February 27, 2012

Tags:

2012

Australia

Sydney

Architecture

Interwar Period

Art Deco

Deco

Arquitectura

Architectural

Metropolitan Water

Sewerage & Drainage Board

MWS&D Board

Howie Moffat & Co

1939

Sydney Water

Water Board

Tile

Heritage

Preservation

339-341 Pitt St

Budden & Mackay

Art Deco Style

Pitt St

Pitt Street

Terracotta « less

Sets appears in: • Australia - NSW - Sydney - 2012 • Australia - NSW - Sydney - MWS&D Building, 2012 more » • Holiday - 2012 - Syd & Cruise • Collection - Art Deco Style - Sydney « less

Groups appears in: • Art Deco • Art-Deco more » • art deco australasia and asia • Views: 2000 • Architectural details and decorative elements • Art Deco that SHOULD be famous worldwide • Art Deco Sydney • 30's "ART DECO period" « less

Camera: Canon EOS 450D, f/6.3, 1/320 sec, 208mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 450D
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	208mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Microsoft Windows Photo Viewer 6.1.7600.16385
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